By Chris Oliver
HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Benchmark U.S. crude-oil futures regained a bit of ground early Thursday, following declines in the New York session Wednesday, when a stronger dollar helped end a six-session advance. New York Mercantile Exchange benchmark crude for February delivery CL2G +0.29% rose to $99.40 a barrel midday in East Asia in electronic Comex trade, compared to Wednesday's closing level of $99.36. Data showing an uptick in U.S. crude oil inventories helped offset wariness that Iran could block oil-vessel traffic through the vital Strait of Hormuz.
